Footlight’s ‘Fat Pig’ is in the eye of the beholder
Playwright Neil LaBute is not afraid of controversy. He is well-known for his direct attacks on difficult issues — misogyny, rape, emotional abuse, adultery — and the cruelty people show toward each other.
In “Fat Pig,” running at the Footlight Players Theatre through Saturday, LaBute’s signature dark humor tackles two recurring themes: society’s obsession with physical appearance and relationships between men and women. The cynical playwright has keen insight into people’s motivations, and in “Fat Pig” he portrays the worst in human nature.
A master wordsmith, LaBute avoids cliches. His characters are three-dimensional, not stereotypes, and the Footlight cast fleshes them out. LaBute writes realistic characters who use offensive language, so Footlight’s production is rated R for adult language and mature situations.
Director Robbie Thomas cast four strong actors for this production. Christian Self plays Tom, an intelligent, attractive, and likable man. Sarah Coe plays Helen, an intelligent, attractive, and likable woman who outweighs Tom by a hundred pounds. They meet at a crowded lunch spot and quickly hit it off. Their witty banter becomes flirtatious, and they agree to get together again. Tom is attracted to Helen’s boldness and sense of humor, especially about her weight. Helen is attracted to Tom’s polite bashfulness.
The foil to Tom’s character is Carter, his co-worker and pseudo-friend. Noah Smith’s Carter is good-looking, funny and a superficial, manipulative jerk. Smith charmingly incorporates physical humor and almost makes Carter likable, but LaBute reminds us of Carter’s true nature. Jeannie, their co-worker and Tom’s pseudo-ex-girlfriend, is a stark contrast to Helen. Played by Sierra Garland, Jeannie is slim, smart and serves as an example of how vindictive people can be.
Ashley Blair dresses her characters stylishly as young professionals. For most of the play, Coe’s costumes are too flattering. She appears too small to fit the vitriolic language that Carter and Jeannie use to describe her. Not until the beach scene does Helen’s costume reveal her size. Being that the play is about a fat woman, the costumes should make the actress look fat.
LaBute’s edgy, modern style is matched by Thomas’ sound design. During each scene change, Tom changes clothes in a spotlight, while Mika or the Dave Matthews Band continues the momentum. The lighting design is simple, keeping the focus on the action.
Aly K. Howard’s simple set design works well with the play’s action: a tall cafe table for lunch or a bed for pillow talk. Each scene is set on a rolling platform for smooth scene changes. The restaurant scene lacks definition, though. It appears to be a private dining room, but through dialogue, the audience learns that Tom and Helen are dining at a restaurant. The complex beach scene is well-executed with realistic dunes and sea oats.
Footlight’s “Fat Pig” is an intriguing analysis of men’s and women’s different perspectives on modern dating. Relationships are difficult enough without obsessing over physical appearance and the opinion of the rest of the world. LaBute blames television and magazines. The blame lies much closer to home: in the mirror.
